A Guide to Mythology

by Helen A. Clarke

My aim in this book on Mythology for young readers has been to give them solid knowledge on the subject, as far as it is advisable to go with immature minds, based upon the most recent investigations of scholars, and to select the myths used in illustration of the plan, with a view to giving them interesting stories to read, which will, almost unconsciously to themselves, lay a firm foundation for the fascinating study of Comparative Mythology, should they wish to go more deeply into it in the future.

There is much talk nowadays as to the authenticity of the records of savage myths. Much of this talk seems to me futile, for a myth is not a fixed entity. Each successive narrator is almost sure to vary and embellish somewhat the material that comes to him, according to his own inventive fancy. If, therefore, a savage myth recorded by a white man retains the chief characteristics of the savage myth, in spite of some fanciful turns given it by him, to the degree, say, that a story of Ovid’s retains those of a Greek myth, it is to all intents and purposes a savage myth, and the embellishments may be disregarded, as Ovid’s are when we are considering Greek Mythology. I have, therefore, included in this volume those versions of the myths that seemed most readable and attractive, provided the primitive attitude of mind and customs were fully emphasized.

CONTENTS

		PAGE
I.—	What is a Myth?	[19]
II.—	Animals in Primitive Myths	[40]
	STORIES: How the muskrat made the world (Indians of British Columbia).—How a kite helped to make the world (Philippine Island).—How Maui fished up the earth (Polynesian).—The origin of the robin (Odjibwa, Cornelius Mathews, based on Schoolcraft).—The origin of the hare (Aino, B. F. Chamberlain).—How the mole became blind (North American Indian, Mill’s “Tree of Mythology”).—The boy and the wolves (North American Indian, Ellen R. Emerson, “Indian Legends”).—How Wasbashas, the snail, became a man (North American Indian, Emerson).—The amazing adventures of Master Rabbit (Algonquin, Leland’s “Algonquin Legends”).—The story of Manabozho (Iroquois, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—How Glooskap made his uncle, the turtle, into a great man (Mic-Mac and Passamaquoddy, Leland).—Punchkin (Hindoo, M. Frere’s “Old Deccan Days”).
III.—	Animals in Culture Myths	[131]
	STORIES: Hymn to Indra (Hindoo, “Rig Veda”).—The Four apes (Egyptian, Book of the Dead).—Story of the Midgard serpent and Fenris, the wolf (Norse, Melville B. Anderson’s, “Norse Mythology,” based on the Eddas).—The story of Apollo and Phaëton (Greek, Gayley, based on Bulfinch).—The story of Odysseus and the oxen of the sun (Greek, paraphrase from Bryant’s “Odyssey”).—The story of Athēne and Arachne (Greek, Gayley-Bulfinch).
IV.—	Tree and Plant Myths	[165]
	STORIES: Ygdrasil, the Norse world tree.—Story of the Aino who fell asleep at the foot of a pine tree.—Wunzh, the father of Indian corn (North American Indian, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—Leelinau, the Lost Daughter (North American Indian, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—Birth of the arbutus (Iroquois, W. B. Canfield’s “Legends of the Iroquois”).—Song at the beginning (Ancient Mexican, Brinton’s “Myths of the New World”).—Flower song (Ancient Mexican, Brinton’s “Myths of the New World”).—The story of Erisichthon (Greek, Bulfinch’s “Age of Fable”).—Story of Pan and Syrinx (Greek, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Story of Pomona and Vertumnus (Roman, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Myth of Osiris and Isis (Bulfinch).—Story of Adonis (Greek, extracts from Lang’s “Lament for Adonis,” by Bion).
V.—	Myths of the Sun, Moon, and Stars	[207]
	STORIES: Story of the making of the sun, moon, and stars (Navajo, Emerson).—Story of the conquering of the sun (North American Indian, Emerson).—Hymn to the sun (North American Indian, Emerson).—Hymn to Sûrya (Hindoo, “Rig Veda”).—The worship of the sun and the dream of Onawutaquto (North American Indian, Emerson).—The witch and the sun’s sister (Russian, Ralston’s “Russian Folk-Tales”).—The making of the mirror (Japanese, Violet M. Pasteur, “Gods and Heroes of Old Japan”).—The death of Balder the Good (Norse, Anderson-Eddas).—Battle of Ra and Anapef (Egyptian, Book of the Dead).—Story of Phœbus Apollo (Greek, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Story of Artemis and Orion (Greek, Gayley-Bulfinch).—Story of the child and the star (Iowa Indian, Emerson).—Osseo, the son of the evening star (North American Indian, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—The wandering star (Chippewa, Emerson).—The daughters of the stars (North American Indian, Mathews-Schoolcraft).
VI.—	Myths of the Sky and Air	[269]
	STORIES: How a hunter visited the thunder spirits who dwell in Mount Katahdin (Passamaquoddy, Leland).—The thunder and lightning men (Passamaquoddy, Leland).—How Glooskap bound Wuchowsen, the great wind bird (Passamaquoddy, Leland).—The wonderful exploits of Paup-puk-keewiss (North American Indian, Mathews-Schoolcraft).—The story of Odin’s sword and Sigmund (Norse, Anderson-Eddas).—How Thor conquered the stone giant (Norse, Anderson-Eddas).—How Zeus came to be king of gods (Greek).—Hymn to the dawn (Hindoo, “Rig Veda”).—The lover’s vision of the happy land (North American Indian, Emerson).—The message-bearers (Iroquois, Canfield).—The way of the gods (Japanese, Violet M. Pasteur).
VII.—	Mother-Myths and Child-Myths	[336]
	STORIES: Malayan story of the sun and moon.—Hymn to the mother of the gods (Mexican Indian, Brinton’s “Rig Veda Americanus”).—Hymn to Cihuacoatl (Mexican Indian, Brinton).—The children of heaven and earth (Sir George Grey, “Polynesian Mythology”).—Story of Demeter (Greek, from Hymn to Demeter, Callimachus).—The story of Demeter and Persephone (Greek, Gayley-Bulfinch, drawn from Ovid and Apollodorus).—Legend of Tu-tok-a-nu-la (Indian, Emerson).—Nezhik-e-wa-wa-sun, or the lone lightning (Odjibwa, Emerson).—Wasis, the baby (Penobscot, Leland).—Ojeeg Annung, or the summer-maker (Indian, Emerson).—The legend of Maui (Polynesian, Grey).—The infant Heracles (Greek, paraphrased from Lang’s translation of the Idyls of Theocritus).—The infant Hermes (Greek, paraphrased from Shelley’s translation of the Homeric Hymn to Mercury).

ILLUSTRATIONS

		FACING PAGE
Automedon and the Horses of Achilles	Regnault	[Frontispiece]
A Reading from Homer	Alma-Tadema	[38]
Zeus	From Pompeii	[140]
Athēne	Glyptothek, Munich	[162]
Apollo with the Lyre	Glyptothek, Munich	[232]
Diana or Artemis the Huntress	Versailles	[240]
Diana or Artemis	Correggio	[248]
Aurora	Guido Reni	[270]
The Flying Mercury or Hermes	Giovanni di Bologna	[316]
Athēne: Brandisher of the Spear	Capitol, Rome	[320]
Demeter or Ceres	The Vatican	[340]
The Infant Hercules	Louvre	[384]